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Zak Failla

Assistant Managing Editor

zfailla@dailyvoice.com

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Equal parts Lois Lane, J. Jonah Jameson and Vicki Vale, Zak! has traveled from coast-to-coast covering small and big town community news in both in print and online for nearly a decade since his graduation from the award-winning Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College in 2010.

Before settling into the Hudson Valley, Zak! previously spent time in the New York Daily News newsroom and worked for hyperlocal digital news outlets on Long Island. He wrote sports for The Ithacan and The Ithaca Journal before taking his talents to the Pacific Northwest, where he served as the sports editor at the Shoshone News-Press until heading back east to work with Daily Voice.

Zak Failla's Contributions

Police & Fire
Feds, Local Agencies Bust 116 Fugitives During 'Long Island Wave' Warrant Operation Feds, Local Agencies Bust 116 Fugitives During 'Long Island Wave' Warrant Operation
Feds, Local Agencies Bust 116 Fugitives During 'Long Island Wave' Warrant Operation A joint law enforcement investigation involving local and federal agencies led to the arrests of more than 100 fugitives on Long Island, officials said. “Long Island Wave,” a two-week warrant operation led by the US Marshals Service, resulted in a total of 116 arrests as law enforcement investigators sought to “disrupt gang activity in Nassau and Suffolk counties.” Police said that the arrests included 69 gang members who are facing charges that include homicide, attempted murder, robbery, and weapon possession. According to officials, the operation involved locating and arresting gang me…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Duo Attempted To Steal ATM Outside Southampton Bank, Police Say Duo Attempted To Steal ATM Outside Southampton Bank, Police Say
Duo Attempted To Steal ATM Outside Southampton Bank, Police Say Two men are wanted on Long Island after damaging an ATM they were attempting to steal, police said. Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and the Southampton Town Police Department issued an alert as they attempt to identify and locate two people who attempted to steal an entire ATM from a Speonk bank. According to police investigators, who released photos of the suspects and their vehicle, the two men damaged the ATM outside Capital One Bank on Montauk Highway on Monday, April 11. Two men are wanted after damaging an ATM and attempting to steal it in Southampton.Suffolk County Crime Stopper…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Registered Sex Offender Busted With Child Porn In Suffolk County, Police Say Registered Sex Offender Busted With Child Porn In Suffolk County, Police Say
Registered Sex Offender Busted With Child Porn In Suffolk County, Police Say A registered sex offender on Long Island is facing new charges after being busted with child pornography during a routine check by probation officers, police said. In Suffolk County, Mastic Beach resident Keith Schoelermann, age 29, a Level 2 sex offender, was arrested on Thursday, May 19 at his home after being busted during a search of his cellphone. According to police, probation officers located an unregistered cellphone during the routine check, which contained child pornography, violating his probation. Probation officers and Suffolk County Police Computer Crimes Unit detectives, al…

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by Zak Failla
News
Former Hempstead School Official, Restaurateur Indicted In Kickback Scheme Former Hempstead School Official, Restaurateur Indicted In Kickback Scheme
Former Hempstead School Official, Restaurateur Indicted In Kickback Scheme A former school official on Long Island is facing charges for allegedly scheming with a restaurateur in a million-dollar kickback scheme, federal authorities announced. An indictment was unsealed on Thursday, May 19 charging Lindenhurst resident Sharon Gardner, age 56, the former Director of Food Services for the Hempstead Union Free School District, and Elmont resident Maria Caliendo, age 57, in the scam. US Attorney Breon Peace said that Gardner and Caliendo - the owner of foodservice providers Smart Starts NY, Inc. and Prince Umberto’s restaurant in Franklin Square - have been charged wi…

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by Zak Failla
News
Students At Hudson Valley School Accused Of Racist Behavior At Athletic Event Students At Hudson Valley School Accused Of Racist Behavior At Athletic Event
Students At Hudson Valley School Accused Of Racist Behavior At Athletic Event For the second time in four months, students in a Hudson Valley school are in hot water for making alleged racist remarks toward student-athletes at an athletic event. In Rockland County, Pearl River students have been accused of racist behavior toward Nyack students during a modified track meet, similar to an incident that happened in February during a basketball game. Earlier story - Racist Incident At Nyack-Pearl River HS Basketball Game Sparks Outrage It is unclear what was said or done, though the incident led to swift reactions from both school districts and Rockland County's top el…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Woman Killed In Hit-Run Crash In CT, Police Say Woman Killed In Hit-Run Crash In CT, Police Say
Woman Killed In Hit-Run Crash In CT, Police Say A pedestrian was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver in Connecticut late on Wednesday, May 18, police said. In New Haven County, a pedestrian was walking at approximately 10 p.m. on Wednesday, May 18 along the 200 block of Paradise Avenue in Hamden when she was struck. Officers from the Hamden Police Department responded to the scene at approximately 10:15 p.m. on Wednesday night, where they found a 37-year-old woman who had been hit by a driver who left the area. The Hamden resident was pronounced dead at the scene. According to police, the preliminary investigation determined that…

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by Zak Failla
News
'Park Outside:' Ford Recalling 39,000 SUVs Due To Fire Hazard 'Park Outside:' Ford Recalling 39,000 SUVs Due To Fire Hazard
'Park Outside:' Ford Recalling 39,000 SUVs Due To Fire Hazard Owners of certain Ford SUVs are being advised to keep their trucks out of the garage due to a risk of under the hood fires that could quickly spread. The automaker announced that it is recalling 39,013 Ford Expedition and Navigators that were built between Dec. 1, 2020, and April 30, 2021, after receiving complaints of under the hood fires. According to the company, customers of certain 2021 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs – built over a four-month period between late 2020 and early 2021 – should park their vehicles outside and away from structures while Ford investigates the cau…

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by Zak Failla
Lifestyle
Winning $50K Powerball Ticket Sold In Hudson Valley Winning $50K Powerball Ticket Sold In Hudson Valley
Winning $50K Powerball Ticket Sold In Hudson Valley A New York Lottery player in the Hudson Valley may be in possession of a valuable winning Powerball ticket worth five figures without knowing it. The New York Lottery announced that one of two prize-winning $50,000 third-place Powerball tickets for the Wednesday, May 18 drawing was sold in Orange County at the Balmville Quick Stop on Route 9W in Newburgh. The other third prize-winning $50,000 ticket was sold at a store in Manhattan. The winning numbers of the latest drawing were 40-41-58-64-65 with a Powerball number of 17. To win the third prize, the ticket buyer had to correctly pick fo…

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by Zak Failla
News
Ex-Director At Hawthorne Non-Profit Indicted For Stealing $700K, DA Says Ex-Director At Hawthorne Non-Profit Indicted For Stealing $700K, DA Says
Ex-Director At Hawthorne Non-Profit Indicted For Stealing $700K, DA Says The former financial director of a Hudson Valley non-profit has been indicted after allegedly stealing more than $700,000 from the organization on behalf of herself and her husband, authorities announced. Bronx resident Ingrid Aquino, age 31, the former Director of Finance of Hudson Valley Community Services in Northern Westchester, has been indicted for allegedly stealing the funds between 2017 and 2021. Specifically, Aquino was indicted by a Westchester County grand jury for second-degree grand larceny, a felony. She was arraigned on Tuesday, May 17. Westchester County District Attorney …

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: Increasing Number Of Reinfections Being Reported, Sometimes Within Weeks COVID-19: Increasing Number Of Reinfections Being Reported, Sometimes Within Weeks
Covid-19: Increasing Number Of Reinfections Being Reported, Sometimes Within Weeks With the number of new COVID-19 variants and wild strains evolving, Americans are reporting an increasing number of reinfections of the virus across the country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reinfection with the virus that causes COVID-19 means a person was infected, recovered, and then later became infected again, sometimes within weeks of the initial infection. Officials said that after recovering from COVID-19, most individuals will have some protection from repeat infections, however, reinfections have become more common during the m…

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by Zak Failla
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